How the Disney Crew Academy Launched Anna’s Production Career
Meet Anna, an alumna of the Disney Crew Academy! During this program, Anna got hands‑on experience and industry‑leading training for her future career in film and television.
After leaving university to pursue a film career, Anna was trying to find her place in the production industry. She had a few credits on small productions but was missing the connections she needed to land bigger projects. Then she discovered the Disney Crew Academy. “I was delighted when I saw the open application as it seemed to be exactly what I was looking for,” she explained. “I was drawn to it because it provided help to people trying to break into the industry, gave trainees experience on a big-budget production and put people forward for their first proper roles.”
During her program, she was introduced to industry experts in multiple departments. They held talks and workshops with the trainees, offering production knowledge along with advice for making it in the entertainment industry. She also got to tour Pinewood Studios and learn in the National Film & Television School. “It felt like being in a filmmakers theme park,” she recalled.
The program also helped her learn about different roles on set and solidified her interests in production and script supervising. “I had some experience in both roles, but it was great getting more knowledge on how to work on larger scale productions and how to be an efficient trainee,” she said. “I also really liked that everyone covered every department. I think it’s important to know what everyone does on set, regardless of what department you are in.”
Beyond the hands-on production training, Anna and her fellow trainees also got advice on navigating freelance opportunities in film and television. She was surprised to learn how often jobs were found through word of mouth and by knowing the right people. “We learned how to approach people you may like to work for, how to stay in contact with people who might hire you in future and simple things like what to put on your CV and what to write in an email.” There was even a session on managing your finances as a freelancer. “I am still going to back to the things we were told on DCA,” she added.
A few months after completing the Disney Crew Academy, Anna was invited to apply to a Production Trainee position at Pinewood Studios. She landed the role and soon found herself working on a Disney production. Just as that production wrapped, a script supervisor she was in contact with offered her another trainee role at a different studio, and she still works with her today. “I think I would be having a much harder time had it not been for the experience gained both on the Disney Crew Academy and on the job I acquired because of it,” she explained.
When asked how she’d pitch the program to other young creatives interested in film and television careers, she said this:
“The Disney Crew Academy was truly the most wonderful experience for me, and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone hoping to work in production. We learnt so much from people who are hugely successful in their departments, and the knowledge and skills we were given will stick with me for a long time. It was the first time I felt welcomed into an industry that had felt so impenetrable before.
"DCA gave me my first proper credit, and it was so great making a start while feeling supported and knowing I had people I could turn to for help. The team behind DCA are amazing, everyone that came to speak to us was incredible and the people on my cohort were all wonderful. I highly recommend applying if working in film is something you are interested in!”
To learn more about Disney Crew Academy and other production opportunities at Disney, visit the Disney Crew Hub: https://sites.disney.com/productioncrewhub/future-crew/
